Peugeot 307 2.0 XSi
If You Can Look Beyond The
Mini-MPV Design Cues, The
Peugeot 307 XSi Makes A Very Convincing Warm Hatch. Andy Enright Reports
Think of the Peugeot 307 range and the first thing that springs to mind is practicality a sensible shoes, headroom aplenty, low-loading lip kind of practicality. Even in three-door guise and treated to a set of rakish alloy wheels, the 307 XSi still cant shake off that ingrained worthiness. Sit inside and twist the key and youll appreciate the comfort and the ease at which it drives. Show it a bend, however, and the XSi will remind you that underneath the sober suit is a sporty Peugeot hatch and all that this entails.
After all, nobody has a record of hot hatches quite as good as Peugeot. Granted, they werent the originators, but when it comes to selecting pocket shopping rockets, a Pug is usually the default weapon of choice. The 205 GTi, the 106 Rallye and the 306 GTi-6 were all scalpel sharp buzzboxes that would make you feel like a hero right up until that moment you took a liberty, whereupon these cars would give you something a bit sharper than a rap across the knuckles. The XSi is cut from slightly different cloth, but it seems that enough of its progenitors DNA has survived to ensure a fun drive.
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"That 2.0-litre engine is one of the 307s best features"
When you pause to consider the fact that its only a warm hatch, the XSis firm ride comes as something of a surprise. Its certainly a good deal knobblier than even the 306 GTi-6 and Peugeots claim that the chassis is far more rigid seems like no idle boast. The whole car feels all of a piece. Not markedly cosseting or pliant, but it seems indestructible.
This impression is only heightened when comparing
Peugeot 307s with their
Citroen Xsara cousins. Ostensibly similar under the skin, the Xsara really does, like the 2CV, seem capable of being driven across a ploughed field, although the behatted driver of lore would find far more room for his titfer in the Peugeot. Priced at £15,320 for the three-door and £15,820 for the frumpier five, the 307 XSi is powered by a 138bhp 16v 2.0-litre engine and is good for 9.
2 seconds in the sprint to 60mph and a top whack of 127mph. The £15,000 price point includes a number of rivals that the Peugeot would be hard pressed to elbow aside, including the
Ford Focus 2.0-litre Zetec, the
Volkswagen Golf GTi 2.0-litre and the
Alfa Romeo 147 1.
6 Lusso. At first glance it would seem that the Peugeot is lining itself up for a good leathering but its broad range of abilities allows it to acquit itself well in this company. Having said that, if youre after a spacious sports hatch, the Civic Type-R does sporty a whole lot better for £16,000 although you will probably want to specify the optional air-conditioning, which at £900 somewhat takes the Civic off the 307 XSis radar. Step into the XSi and youll wonder if Peugeot let the book titled Processes Of Continual Improvement disappear down the back of the corporate couch.
The 307 is such a massive step forward from the creaking 306 that youd be tempted to wonder what happened to the generation between the two. Interior quality just doesnt merit comparison with its flimsy forebear. From the drivers
seat the base of the windscreen stretches away into the middle distance, the clap hand wipers reinforcing the
mini-MPV impression. That inexplicably lofty roofline could well spark a resurgence in top hat sales, but move to the rear seats and youll find the MPV subterfuge falls a bit short.
Despite its apparently generous exterior dimensions, the 307 isnt the biggest car in its class. It certainly makes amends in terms of safety, as the 307 is one of the first cars in its class to feature six airbags as standard. In addition to the familiar twin front and side bags, curtain airbags protect both front and rear passengers from flying glass and side impact in the event of an accident. Active head restraints, ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution, automatic hazard light deployment under heavy braking and fuel supply cut-offs combine to make the 307 an impressively safe environment for the family.
The 307 XSi also features an impressive array of standard equipment, which includes a five-disc CD changer integrated into the dashboard and digital climate control. An ultrasonic alarm, electric rear windows on the five-door version, sports seats with part leather trim and 17-inch alloy wheels also make the starting line up. All very racy, but they do nothing to undermine the 307s practical bent, incorporating as it does lessons learnt from years of MPV production such as sliding underseat storage trays. It even features an air-conditioned glove box to prevent your chocolate bars from becoming astronaut food and cargo nets in the hatch to stop luggage from looking like its been on a spin cycle after spirited driving.
That 2.0-litre engine is one of the 307s best features, with a combined fuel consumption figure of 35.8mpg being one of the best in class. For a car boasting 138bhp, once a respectable figure for any paid up member of the GTi brigade, thats especially laudable.
Its difficult to drive the 307 and escape the thought that Peugeot were trying to move away from its GTi-dominated days, but that just enough of the old-school funsters managed to crash the party. The handling is lively and in the spirit of all Peugeot hatches, you can swing the back end loose with a sharp lift of the throttle pedal. Such hooligan antics may well endear the 307XSi to the motoring press but what of the people who really count the person with the pen hovering above the dotted line? It really doesnt put a foot wrong. Quality is right up there, residuals look set to be firm and its a car that mixes the prosaic with the pleasurable with surprisingly few caveats.
After all, you dont need a red nose and baggy trousers to be a fun guy
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Peugeot 307 2.0 XSi range
PRICES: £15,320-£15,820 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 11
CO2 EMISSIONS: 188g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 9.2s/ Max Speed 127mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 25.9mpg/ (extra urban) 45.6mpg/ (combined) 35.8mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Dual, Side and Curtain Airbags / ABS and EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr] Length/Width/Height, 163/79/60"
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